Shen
|gender= Male |image= |films= Kung Fu Panda 2 |voice= (film)IMDb.com - "Kung Fu Panda 2" |alias= Lord Shen, Peacock |appearance= White peacock feathers with bright red eyes and red eyespots on tail feathers and crest |combat= Weapons expert, unspecified style of Kung Fu |fate= Defeated by Po and crushed by the remains of his cannon |quote= "Nothing stands in my way." }} Shen (more commonly known as Lord Shen) is the main antagonist in Kung Fu Panda 2. He was the son of the royal Peacock family and the heir to the Gongmen City throne. Early in his youth, Shen had become obsessed with using the fireworks' powder to create weapons. When he overheard the Soothsayer (his childhood nanny) foretelling his concerned parents of how he was to be stopped by "a warrior of black and white", he led his wolves on a raid to annihilate all . But upon his return, his father banished him from the city and its throne. Shen had plotted his revenge for thirty years afterwards, eventually creating an unstoppable weapon. And although his weapon and army had brought him temporarily to power in Gongmen City, the Soothsayer's fortune did indeed come true when he was stopped by Po, the foretold "warrior of black and white". Biography Beginnings Shen was born into the noble Peacock family, who were esteemed by the people of Gongmen City for their invention of fireworks. But as a young Shen began to dabble in (and eventually become obsessed with) the making of weapons with the use of the fireworks' gunpowder, his loving parents grew worried. They asked their court soothsayer what his future held, and she proclaimed that, if he continued with his dark pursuits, his supposed destiny would be destroyed by "a warrior of black-and-white". Overhearing this and fearing any obstacles in his plans, Shen led his wolf followers to attack and decimate a farming village populated by giant pandas, leaving none alive and covering the village with the pandas' blood. Returning home and expecting praise from his parents for his deed, Shen was instead banished forever for his crimes by his father, and his throne was turned over to the stewardship of Master Thundering Rhino and the Kung Fu Council. Shen felt wronged by this as he considered what he'd done as defying fate to realize his goals, and swore revenge to one day rule supreme. In Kung Fu Panda 2 Deep in the mountains, Shen's wolves worked tirelessly to complete their master's ultimate weapon: A cannon that would bring an end to the use of Kung Fu. When Boss Wolf informed him that they had run out of metal to use as material, Shen ordered him to attack the farthest villages and steal all the metal they could find. While he and a group of wolves attended to that, Shen decided it was time to move forward with his plans. ]] Shen traveled to Gongmen City and marched up to his former home, easily dispatching the guards that tried to subdue him at the gate. Once there, he confronted the Kung Fu Council, telling them that he was there to take back what was rightfully his. In the skirmish that followed, Shen easily outfought Masters Storming Ox and Croc, but was pushed back by Master Thundering Rhino, who shattered several of Shen's blades. Lord Shen, however, was ready for this, and unveiled his new weapon. Thundering Rhino prepared for battle, but he was no match for Shen's device and was killed. With Thundering Rhino dead, Shen threatened to turn his cannon on the city unless Storming Ox and Croc gave up. He had the two masters imprisoned in Gongmen Jail and planted Master Thundering Rhino's Cloud Hammer in his courtyard as a trophy. With the Council out of the way, Shen began to ransack the tower, even throwing his father's throne out the window and replacing it with his cannon. He then questioned his caring nanny the Soothsayer about his future, but she informed him that nothing had changed; he would still be defeated by "a warrior of black-and-white". Shen declared this to be impossible, but was quickly proven wrong when Boss Wolf returned, informing him that he had battled a panda who, he commented, "fought like a demon". Shen, greatly angered by this, ordered him to bring the panda to him so he could kill him and prove the Soothsayer wrong. and the Furious Five]] Later, when Po and the Furious Five were brought before him in handcuffs, Lord Shen discovered that Po didn't know about the massacre of the pandas or Shen's role in it, and he laughed and taunted him about his ignorance. He ordered the Wolf Boss to fire the cannon at them, but Mantis quickly extinguished the fuse and knocked Boss Wolf out, which bought Viper enough time to pick the lock on Tigress' cuffs. Once they were free, Tigress and Mantis destroyed Shen's cannon and Po lunged at Shen. However, when he saw the marks on Shen's tail feathers, he was struck with a memory of his past, and realized that Shen was there the night he lost his biological parents. Shen only confirmed this to him with satisfaction, and then used this distraction to escape to the Fireworks Factory, where he had several more cannons waiting. He ordered his warriors to open fire and bring the tower down with Po and the Five inside. Despite this, they manage to escape as the building fell. Frustrated, Shen ordered his troops to start loading his ships to begin his conquest of China, declaring "The Year of the Peacock begins now!" The Boss Wolf tried pointing out that they are already in the middle of the year. Twitching at this contradiction, Shen brandished a blade that cowed Boss Wolf into submission, before ordering him call in all the wolves. ]] Some time later, Po infiltrated the factory to confront Lord Shen, ruining the Five's plan to destroy the building. As the two fought, Shen easily outmaneuvered Po and taunted him again by telling him that he saw his parents abandon him and that they never loved him. This again distracted Po, enough for Shen to reach his most powerful cannon, which he used to blast Po out of the factory and into the river. Confident that Po was dead, Shen had the recaptured Furious Five chained up and suspended above his ships as they sailed out of the city, planning on executing them once his ships reach the harbour. He even callously blasted a bridge out of the way when Gongmen citizen came to watch. Much to his shock, Po returned and tried to rescue his friends and defeat Shen once and for all. Shen ordered his gunners to blast him, but Po nimbly moved along the rooftops, preventing them from getting a clear shot, and then jumped onto the ships to engage Shen's army, now that they couldn't fire without hitting their own men. Shen could do nothing but watch as Po freed the Furious Five and joined forces with Masters Storming Ox, Croc, and Shifu. Finally losing his patience, Shen ordered Boss Wolf to fire the main cannon, but the wolf refused to kill his own, and in response, Shen struck him down with one of his throwing knives, instantly killing the wolf. He fired the cannon himself, knocking all of the Kung Fu warriors away and blasting through the boats they had set up to block his fleet. As his ships entered the city harbor, Shen watched as Po swam out to one of the destroyed boats and began making motions. Unphased, Shen ordered his gunners to open fire and finish the panda. Amazingly, Po used a technique Shifu had shown him to catch and deflect the cannonballs, sending them back and destroying all of Shen's ships and cannons. When Po confronted him on his main ship, Shen asked him how he did it, how he could find peace after what Shen had done to him. Po told him that it was time to let go of his past and choose his own future, stating that the only thing that matters the most is what one chooses to become now. Though Shen agreed of deciding his own future, he refused to let go of his past, and instead attacked Po with his lance and knives. Shen's swordplay overwhelmed Po, but as they fought, he accidentally cut through the ropes holding the remains of his cannon. Shen realized this too late, and as the heavy weapon fell on him, he closed his eyes and accepted his fate, resulting a big explosion that sunk the main ship to the waters, which Po barely managed to evade. Personality in the Fireworks Factory]] Shen is described to have been extremely smart, supremely lethal, and extremely ambitious. His past had forged in him the notion that he'd been wronged and that the world owed him something, intending to do everything in his power to take it. This included inventing a powerful weapon unlike anyone had ever seen before. Shen was intent on using this weapon to wipe out Kung Fu and take over China.Kung Fu Panda Official Site - Lord Shen Shen was shown to be unspeakably ruthless (as well as paranoid), willing to kill China's population of pandas in order to smite any chances that one would some day defeat him, as foretold in a simple fortune-telling he overheard. Raised as royalty, Shen largely preferred to let his cannons and henchmen do the labor and dirty work rather than dealing with such obstacles himself. His ambition to leave his mark on the world drove him to find a dark and lethal potential in his family's celebrated invention of fireworks, and when cast out by his parents for his massacre of the pandas, he swore revenge, and aimed to conquer all of China to prove himself. Shen had little or no regard for the life or well-being of others, as he blasted a bridge without hesitation, despite there being innocent bystanders on it, and was willing to sacrifice his own troops, which put him in conflict with his most trusted subordinate Boss Wolf, who refused to kill his own warriors. For this disobedience, Shen killed him without a second thought. It was shown that Shen seemed to be somewhat of a perfectionist as when he took over the Tower of the Sacred Flame and fussed over the position of his cannon, saying that he envisioned the moment he would retake Gongmen City for years, and that everything had to be exactly as he envisioned it, and when he was rehearsing intimidating lines to say for when he finally met his destined foe (which went to waste due to Po's off-handed nature). He also demonstrated a fondness of expensive materials and luxury as shown when he acted infuriated when the Soothsayer chewed off the hem of his robes (which he claimed to be made of "the finest silk in the province"). Prideful and possibly deranged, Shen showed no remorse for his crimes, and would often boast of what he'd accomplished. He was also emotionally sadistic, taking pleasure in telling Po that his parents didn't love him and taking advantage of the panda's pain. This cruelty likely stemmed from Shen's conviction that his own parents hated him and wronged him by banishing their son years ago; Shen's bitterness went as far as insulting his father's memory by throwing his throne out the window and replacing it with his cannon, despite having fond memories of playing near it as a child. The Soothsayer, Shen's childhood nanny, seemed to be the only person Shen cared about, as she tried to reason with Shen to change his ways, and, even while being his prisoner, displayed her concern for the reckless decisions he made. The Soothsayer is possibly the only other person he loved, despite her occasional mockery of him as well as Shen threatening and insulting her several times while she was his prisoner. Despite this, however, he never harmed her, and ultimately set her free. Despite his crimes, what Shen possibly wanted most was to have his parent's love and approval, which in his mind was lost forever when they banished him. With his family dead, he continued to believe his conquering of China with his weapons and his brutal force would be the only thing that would bring him the justice he felt was his. Even though he still believed that his parents betrayed him, the Soothsayer related to him his parents had indeed loved him, so much that they died from grief when they had to send him away. Although he paused in silence upon hearing this, even taking a few gasping breaths as if to hold back tears, Shen hardened his heart and proceeded with his conquest. Shen was shown to have a rather short temper. Seeing as when Po and the Furious Five escaped from the collapsing Tower of the Sacred Flame, he became enraged and kicked one of his gorilla followers in the nose. Additionally, when he ordered Boss Wolf to gather the wolves shortly after the incident, he screamed at him to do so immediately. Shen also seemed to have a low tolerance for pain (despite being a seasoned master of Kung Fu and swordsmanship), such as when Soothsayer plucked out one of his smallest down feathers. He yelped loudly and pulled his wing back, acting as if he were badly injured. Fighting Style ]] Lord Shen's Kung Fu skills were so advanced that he could effortlessly overwhelm both Storming Ox and Croc, who were both revered and full-fledged Kung Fu Masters. Shen was also able to counter each and every one of their moves flawlessly and with lethal precision, hinting that he could've killed them whenever he chose. However, although Shen was skilled and accomplished in Kung Fu, he was more likely to use his cunning or his cannons than his physical prowess. He also excelled in sword combat and hid an armory of blades in his robes, which he could unleash in lightning speed. Among the rest of his arsenal was his lance (which he was seen practicing with the most), and a pair of lethal-looking metal talons. In battle, his tail became another limb, which he could shape and use to attack, defend, or as a deception tool. His "Funnel Cloud Attack" and "Feather Attack" were noted to be daunting and deadly. All in all, Shen's fighting style was both graceful and lethal. When Shen engaged someone in close-combat, not one move he made was wasted. He made full and efficient use of every technique, weapon, and tactic he had at his disposal, utilizing not only his bladed weapons, but also his tail and talons. As shown in his fight with Storming Ox and Croc, he used his sword to pin Ox's weapons while using a sidekick on Croc, and then immediately turning that side-kick into a roundhouse-kick to knock Ox down. His tail was used to defend and distract his foes, and even mask his own movements. One example shows how he had come very close to killing Croc when he used his tail in a series of moves: first, he defended with his tail; then he attempted to stab Croc with his sword (which he barely managed to dodge); and then he finally finished it with a butterfly kick on Croc's head. Shen also seemed to favor spinning or sweeping maneuvers, as well as pinning someone's weapons or limbs, and was also capable of using his tail to sweep foes off their feet, as he had done so in his first fight with Po where he grabbed Po's foot, stopping a kick, before he pinned it down ,maneuvered around Po, and swept the panda off balance with his long tailfeathers. Shen's Arsenal of Weapons Shen was a master of blades with lethal skill in swordsmanship and knife-throwing. Among his arsenal were: *'Multi-Purpose Blade' — a curved blade with extending shaft resembling a snake spear, allowing Shen to use it as either a sword or lance *'Throwing Knives' — uniquely-shaped knives which Shen hid among the sleeves in his robes; these were most likely custom-built, as they appear to be forged into the shape of feathers, likely so Shen could hide them among his own feathers in the folds of his robe *'Iron Claws' — a metal attachment to his talons; used for armor, combat, and as means to create sparks and light the fuses on cannons *'Rope Darts' — seen in use only once, Shen throws rope with accuracy to ensnare Master Storming Ox's horn to bring him down Relationships Family His parents Shen was loved by his parents from the moment he was born, and he mentioned he would often play by his father's throne, which his father promised would one day be his, implying his parents were encouraging and loving. But as Shen became a young man, ambition began to fester in his heart as he obsessed over the desructive potential of his family's invention of fireworks, worrying his parents. They turned to the advice of their court Soothsayer and Shen's nanny, who prophesized for Shen a path to self-destruction should he continue his dark pursuits, and be deafeated by a warrior of black & white. Shen attempted to thwart this prophecy by massacring a village of pandas, and he returned, full of pride, expecting his parents to praise him for defying fate yet he saw only horror in their faces. Left with no choice and to spare his son death, Shen's father banished the young lord forever from Gongmen City, and all love Shen felt for his parents was gone. For thirty years, Shen felt wronged by his father, and in extension, his mother, desiring to conquer China, and ever-feeling that his parents hated him, that they wronged him, his bitterness going as far as to insult his father's memory by throwing his throne out the window. But the Soothsayer told him that they loved him so much that when they sent him away it killed them. Shen was stricken with an emotional blow in response yet hardened his heart and proceeded with his plans. What Shen may have truly wanted was his parents' love and approval but that had become an impossible dream. The Soothsayer Shen and the Soothsayer have a strange relationship. Although not biologically related, the Soothsayer was Shen's when he was young, and loved him very much. However, as he grew into an adult, Shen seemed to have lost almost all love for her. She tends to infuriate and simply annoy him with her riddles and jokes, as well as plucking out one of his wing feathers and chewing/biting off the hem of his robes. However, while Shen did insult and even threaten her on some occasions, he tolerates her and never harms her in any way. She seems to be the only one Shen ever truly cared for, despite banishing her from Gongmen City. Boss Wolf Boss Wolf was Shen's most loyal and trusted subordinate, as well as his right-hand man. He displayed much trust in Boss Wolf's abilities and competence, and Boss Wolf displayed in return great loyalty, as well as some fear, of his master. Still, Shen wasn't above reprimanding Boss Wolf in certain occasions and showed that while he valued and trusted Boss Wolf as his second-in-command, he cared nothing for him as when Shen ordered Boss Wolf to fire their cannon at their enemies, Boss Wolf hesitated since their troops would be caught in the blast as well. Boss Wolf tried to change Shen's mind, but he wouldn't, which led to Boss Wolf refusing, finally seeing Shen for what he really was, as well as losing his life as Shen promptly struck him down with his throwing knives. Shen displayed no remorse for killing his most trusted subordinate and acted like it never happened afterwards. Po Prior to when they met, Shen believed that Po was fully aware of his part in killing his parents and was also a fully-seasoned Kung Fu master; however, upon realizing that Po had no clue of what happened to his family, and that Po seemed to be a flighty klutz, Shen found himself unable to keep a straight face. Shen continued to underestimate Po up until he managed to take down his entire fleet single-handedly, leaving Shen exhausted and stunned at what just happened. Po approached Shen, knowing of the peacock's past, and telling him that he had to let go of the past and look toward the future, but Shen refused to do so and violently attacked Po, but accidentally sliced the ropes that held up the remains of his cannon, causing it to come crashing down on top of Shen, killing him. Clothing/Outfit In keeping with his state as a white peacock, Shen wore a long, white robe (which matched his plumage) with a black belt. Shen once commented in Kung Fu Panda 2 that his robes were made from the finest silk in the provence. Underneath his robe is where he had kept his halberd and a large supply of throwing knives. To hide the burn scars on his feet, Shen also wore metal talons that protected his feet and served as formidable weapons. Trivia General *The name "Shen" translates into English as "divinity" ( : 神, : shén), "flame" ( : 焴 : shen), and "deep thought" ( : 深; : shēn) *Though Shen has been described as an albino, in reality, white peafowl are , as their eyes still contain pigment. *Shen's fighting style shares similar qualities with " ", a Chinese martial art that uses a metal for defensive and distraction purposes. These qualities are represented in Kung Fu Panda 2 by the use of Shen's tail feathers, his agile, and circular movements. This style shares a Japanese counterpart called " ", which also bases its style from a . *On each of Shen's wings are a set of five feathers longer than the rest, which substituted as "fingers". Shen was shown to be capable of bending and curling them as if they were actual fingers, but in some instances, Shen was shown using his talons as "fingers". *When counted, Shen has 70 long feathers on his tail total. *Shen shares many similarities with Tai Lung: **They both were "betrayed" by the ones they loved (Shifu and the Peacocks, respectively) for unpardonable crimes and were both punished with life sentences; ***Differences: the condition of their life sentence (Tai Lung was to serve a life sentence in Chorh-Gom Prison, while Shen was banished forever from Gongmen City), and the order their crimes were committed in (Tai Lung laid waste to the Valley after his "betrayal", while Shen had massacred the Panda Village before his). **Both coveted something they believed was rightfully theirs: Tai Lung the Dragon Scroll and title of Dragon Warrior, and Shen's rule over Gongmen City, as well as complete control of China — all in justification for his parents' "betrayal"; **They both expressed momentary remorse in regards to their parental figures, but hardened their hearts and proceeded with their evildoings; **Po has tried to reason with them, but both Tai Lung and Shen refused to listen and instead chose to fight; **They both have "eyespot" patterns on their fur/feathers; **They are both seasoned Kung Fu Masters; **They both fought Po and underestimated him, leading to their respective downfalls; **They both spoke with cultured English accents. In development *Shen was originally created as a devious mayor for the first movie, but was written out before production. *According to the director, Shen proved to be a great challenge to animate, so much that the complexity of the character was like that of doing six characters all at once.CNN.com - "Computer Generated Animation" *An earlier concept of Shen's background mentioned him being born "sickly" due to his leucism/albinism. His parents were disappointed and had deemed him "too weak and pitiful to deserve attention". The Soothsayer was also mentioned to still be Shen's nanny, but the ignorance his own family showed him was what drove the young peacock into his path of wickedness.Kung Fu Panda Official Site - Lord Shen (older version; retrieved February 5, 2011) In popular culture *Shen has been recorded as having the largest Internet fanbase of any character of the ''Kung Fu Panda'' franchise, with reportedly over 80 million units of fan art, fan fictions, and fan clubs related to him. Gallery Lordshensheet.jpg|Concept illustrations of Shen by Nicolas Marlet Lordshenmodel.png|CG model of Shen ShenLight.jpg|Shen greeting Po and the Furious Five ShenCannon.PNG|Shen holding Po at knife-point ShenGorillaCannon.PNG|Shen firing his cannon ShenGaryOldman.jpg|Shen and his voice actor, (View more...) Quotes References Category:Characters Category:Film Characters Category:Video Game Characters Category:Villains Category:Males Category:Major Characters Category:Deceased Characters Category:Kung Fu Masters